Dec 08, Washington, DC: The United States said it remains deeply concerned about actions surrounding the ongoing impeachment trial of Sri Lankan Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.

Reiterating the statement issued by the US Embassy in Colombo Friday, the State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark C. Toner urged the Sri Lankan government to guarantee due process, and to ensure that all investigations are conducted transparently and in accordance with the rule of law.

"These latest developments are part of a disturbing deterioration of democratic norms in Sri Lanka, including infringement on the independence of the judiciary. The United States, along with our partners in the international community, continues to urge Sri Lanka to uphold the rule of law and democratic governance and to continue to address outstanding accountability and reconciliation issues," Toner said in a statement.

The Chief Justice walked out of the PSC hearing Thursday saying that she has no faith in the process and the opposition members of the PSC followed her Friday saying that they too have no faith in the PSC and could not be a party to an unfair process.